Kevin Costner and Stevie Wonder, among other stars, on Saturday paid tribute to Whitney Houston at her funeral, held in the small Church of New Hope, Newark (New Jersey, eastern USA), where the artist used to sing in childhood.
The ceremony was broadcast entirely and without interruption by news channels, ended when the singer's coffin was taken from the Baptist Church of Newark accompanied by their families to the 20h45 GMT, after a private funeral ceremony for three hours and Mean duration.
The remains were removed from the Temple Houston while sounding version of his song "I Will Always Love You", the main theme of the movie that starred with Costner "The Bodyguard" and remembered by many as the hallmark of his career .
The coffin was placed in a gold-colored hearse, which was escorted by a police car and two motorcycles, to an unknown destination.
During the funeral Kevin Costner gave a moving speech in tribute to the singer, whose death caused sorrow and fell in a duel to his followers worldwide.
"I was your bodyguard yet not so long ago and now you're not," he said, very excited, actor before starting to recall the facts concerning the shooting of the film.
Costner said that although Houston was perfect for the role of pop star Rachel Marron, the film's producers felt that a white player with more experience as an actress might be more appropriate for the character.
"I told everyone that he was aware that Whitney was black. The only problem is that I thought was perfect for what we were trying to do," he said.
"There was some relief in the room when we discovered that Whitney was going on tour and would not be available for our film. Anxiety came back when I said we should postpone it and wait a year," he said.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, led the ceremony, which began at 17h20 GMT with a rendition of gospel choir of the church, New Hope Mass Choir.
"We are here to mourn our loss. God is in heaven with him, one of our angels, Whitney Houston," said Booker.
Stevie Wonder on his part, sang two songs in honor of Houston. "I thank God for having shared time with Whitney," he said after another tribute artist Alicia Keys, who also noted for its expressiveness.
The former husband of Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, had to abandon the ceremony after a few minutes inside the temple.
Apparently would have left disappointed after the family refused to give Houston a place, according to the testimony of the Rev. Jesse Jackson told CNN.
The couple divorced in 2007 and Brown maintained strained relations with the family of his ex-wife.
"It was a difficult time. I tried to get him to stay. They made him a space," said Jackson.
Aretha Franklin, whose participation had been announced, finally did not. CNN said the star of the soul is sick.
"Whitney, today is your day," said Joe Carter, pastor of New Hope, located in a suburb of New York, to open the ceremony. "You're the only one to bring us all together," he added.
The entrance to the funeral of the singer, who died Saturday at age 48 in a hotel in Los Angeles (California, west) for unknown reasons, was by invitation only.
The police had deployed a wide operating early, closing streets near the Baptist church in which Whitney sang gospel choir as a child, found the AFP.
At the door of the temple had balloons, teddy bears and flowers left in recent days. "Whitney Houston, We will always love you, 1963-2012," read a flashing neon sign at the entrance.
While it was initially considered the possibility of a public tribute at a sports complex in the city, the family finally decided to organize a strictly private funeral in this church with capacity for 1,500 people.
"I just wanted to get as close as possible," said the singer's fan Tamecca Melvin, New Jersey, told AFP.
"She loved me, I grew up with her. Although he was a megastar, was a home girl. Always continued to be that person (...) and I love it," said Melvin.
His followers were able to follow the ceremony live, especially through television and the Internet, thanks to a camera allowed to transmit from inside the enclosure.
Whitney Houston will be buried Sunday at the Fairview Cemetery in the nearby town of Westfield, where there lies the body of his father, John, died in 2003, reported ABC News, citing a police source.
The singer, who dominated the American music scene of pop and soul in the years 1980 and 1990, selling over 170 million records, fought a long public battle against drug addiction negatively affecting their career and personal life.
